NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: CAPITALS v RED WINGS

June 11, 1998

Scotty Bowman

SCOTTY BOWMAN: We have a lot of guys that give a lot of extra. I thought the depth that we had -- we lost Slava Kozlov as, you know, he only played eight of the minutes and we were trying mostly anybody on that left side with Sergei and Brownie, Draper made a great play to go to the net. We felt if we kept going to the net, they were playing 4 4-D a bit. Over time, we tried to put pressure on them. We had a few faceoffs there at our own end and we didn't like it. We got through that. I thought it was, you know, a real team effort because we got goals from different guys again.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, we talked about at the end of the first period that as well as we were playing, we had a one-goal lead. It took all that kind of play to get a one-goal lead, and I don't know, we got kind of snake bitten on the goal, the first goal. It was just a big turn of events, you know, because it was a call Broseker was calling it like with his hand up, you can argue all you want about Osgood. Collins made the safe sign as the puck was being shot. I told the team at the end of the second period, you know, forget about the focus on the goal because the bother is for 20 minutes, forget about everything else. We made a few mistakes ourselves. We have to overcome a mistake by an official. He is not doing it intentionally, he is trying to do his job making a quick decision. We let down in the second period. They did come on. It is the kind of game you are going to replay over and over again if you don't come back. I mean, just take us -- we drew caution to the wind and moved the defense up and let them try to handle us in their own end. That is what we tried to do. I thought it was the depth that turned it around in the third -- I say we had to get it up to the next level. We weren't going to be held to win the game the way we played in the second period. That was for sure.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: No, that is one of those best scoring chances. They did their best. That is what happens in the Playoffs. I mean, we looked at some of our shots even at the end of the third period, you know, Olie was really looking big there. There wasn't like that much could get by him. Draper was doing good in overtime. He covers the bottom of the net. Brown made a shot to tie it up. We said keep shooting. It took 60 shots to score the winner. It is hard to believe.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Broseker was calling it. Broseker had his hand up to call it. I don't know if he was calling it icing or two-line pass, but he was calling something and Murphy let up to, Larry Murphy let us up. Just see they work together, and just as Atlanta, the last minute, Collins -- because it came from his end. He waived it off. If you watch the tape, he waived it off. Of course, you know, it was too late then. I mean, I am sure Chris would like to play it over again, but he was watching Broseker and Larry Murphy has been in the League 15, 20 minutes or something and he did the same thing. It is one call, you can't hang yourself on one call -- I didn't like some of -- some of the other calls against the scrums in that. I told our guys before the game you can't win if you get into scrums. One scrum it looked like they were going to get a penalty and then we ended up next scrum, we got a minor, Maltby. A little bit of interference he came at the goalie; goalie used his stick, Gonchar used Macoun down to the ice. When the play is on, you can play as tough as you want. When the scrums are on, they keep warning the teams they are going to get somebody in a scrum and it is not always the guy you think, he is going to get and that was a big flow for us. We didn't -- we are going to have to do better than that. We don't want to get involved in scrums. We want to play tough hockey. I thought tonight it was -- it was a perfect example, we shouldn't just don't get involved.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: Well, you know, I guess we had a bit of mindset that we should have -- should attack. I told them at the end of the third period, we have to attack for sure but we have to do it very smart. We don't want to get outnumbered situations. Once we were in that mode in the second period -- third period, rather, don't sit back. Try to take the play to the other team with sensible plays and put it at the net, could be a bounce in, usually that is what happens a shot from the point. I was a little bit concerned on faceoffs. We had a few that we, you know, we shot down the ice, face -- we got the -- Dallas scored that goal. That is a perfect example of what can happen on a faceoff if you ever lose the faceoff and you are going to lose some, and they got some good pointmen that can shoot the puck. We did talk about the fact that they will probably -- we looked at the ice time at the end of the third period and Housley had about 5 or 6 minutes and Brown about the same. I said the other 4 guys are playing 25 minutes so far we had a couple -- Murphy, but, you know, I mean, if you are going to take advantage of that kind -- put a pace on. That was we had a great pace in the third period, second period we just got stung with those goals and we couldn't get the pace going again. Maybe the last three or four minutes, but third period we would had the -- we got to play at that pace.

COACH BOWMAN: I just sense the fact that Joe feels as much pressure on the home team as I used to because the law of averages in the League is pretty 50/50. I don't know other reasons for it. Usually if it was real tough to win a game on the road now they can. I wasn't going to preach change, the fact that we had to win two games to preserve the home ice, yes, if you can win two games, sure, it is two more games you have to win. You don't get certain -- anything more for winning which game you won, but it is two wins -- I don't care if we are going to Washington or playing the third game in Detroit. I have tried to tell the team all along you have got to make some adjustments when you play away from your own building, but they are not huge and we just have to -- you know, get a good rest between now and Saturday, and you know, try to play the same pace game. That is the way we look at it.

COACH BOWMAN: I thought he was really dangerous in the third period. He made some great tries to get it in, they are going to watch him pretty close, I was really -- you know, concerned when we lost Kozlov, especially in a game like that, but you know, Brown and Fedorov have played well together since we have had them here. We have tried different guys, but they have been a good combination. They read off each other, and Sergei made a lot happen tonight in the third period, and, you know, he seemed to be a lot -- he had a lot of energy, maybe we are getting him on the ice a lot because in the third period we played 3 centerman most of the time. I put Draper to left wing. I said we have -- we don't want to mix things up again. We are going to go with 3 centers and leave the wingers the same. All we did is play Fedorov and Larionov and Yzerman maybe a touch more.

SCOTTY BOWMAN: A charlie horse, John Ward, Ken Warden said that he couldn't come back and to get on it right away. He has got a pretty good chance -- I mean, I don't have a real update, but usually those things, in the first 24 hours, you have got to treat them and the first couple of hours right as soon as it happens, you have got to the get on it right away -- he came back and he said it was weak which we could understand.